Pac 12 Football Championship Details

The Pac-12 championship game is a relatively young one, having only been played since 2011. That was the year that Colorado and Utah joined the conference and made what was the Pac-10 into the Pac-12. When they joined, the conference met the NCAA’s minimum qualification of 12 teams.

That year, the conference divided itself into two divisions, and the winner of each met to decide who the conference champion would be. However, the first edition of the game was not between the top two teams in the conference.

Oregon won the North division, and USC had the best record in the South. But since the Trojans had sanctions prohibiting them from postseason play, UCLA represented the division instead.

The Ducks cruised to a 49-31 win in front of a home crowd since the game was initially played at the site of the team with the best record. However, since 2014, the game has been played at a neutral site, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. It will be played there through 2019 and possibly in 2020 as well.

So far, during the relatively short history of the game, it has been dominated by the North Division. All seven title games were won by teams from the North. Oregon has won two, Stanford three, and Washington one. UCLA was the only team from the South to come close to winning in 2012, but in the end, they lost to Stanford, 27-24.

This season could be the year the South finally wins. The odds heavily favor Sam Darnold and the USC Trojans (17/2) followed by Jake Browning and the Washington Huskies (45/1). UCLA will need more than a great year from Josh Rosen to beat their 55/1 odds.

Oregon, Stanford, and Washington State each have 85/1 odds followed by Colorado (100/1). If you are a fan of really long odds, then give Arizona, Cal, and Oregon State a look (500/1).